Ivan N. Neshkov ‘15 – I would like to start by saying thanks to Lilly Endowment, Inc. for their funding which made my internship possible. But what exactly am I thankful for? In my three years at Wabash I have studied and strived to be the best that I can be. Fighting family problems and wrestling with school proved to be quite the challenge. One of my problems at home stemmed from the ever so prevalent discussion of how to pay for college, leaving my family with little money on the side. As the 2014 school year was coming to a close I knew that going home and relying on my family to take care of me was not an option. So I set off to find a paid internship that would allow me to pay for living expenses and ease the burden of dependence.
In my search, thanks to the Wabash College Career Services, I found this marketing internship for Montgomery County Economic Development. From day one Kristin Clary (Executive Director) and Jami Harrington (Executive Assistant) were happy to have me in the office. As the week progressed, both Jami and Kristin made clear that my time spent at MCED as an intern will be an active one. My role would be an active one both in the office and in the community. At the time Tyler Andrews (Wabash 15’) was also interning for MCED and he helped me get caught up in the office, as I took on more and more responsibility with each passing day. Working with Kristin, Jami, and Tyler has been one of the most pleasurable work experiences I have ever had. Great leadership and understanding have bred an atmosphere of progress at MCED, one which I help propagate every day.
Many might say that working in Crawfordsville limits your opportunity or limits your potential, but after only a few short weeks I will have to disagree. Crawfordsville is a small town full of problems, but also full of potential. Anyone can go into a successful company, act under the corporate thumb and say that they had a successful summer; going into a small community and being turned loose to explore the community, assess its assets and its drawbacks, and being encouraged to come up with new ideas to solve todays ever evolving problems has been a great experience, and continues to be every day. In the words of Wabash’s own Scott Crawford, in regards to meeting attendance said, “I want you there, you will have ideas, I know you.” This says two things, the first is that I have been able to leave my mark on Wabash as a man of ideas. The second idea this alludes to is the environment here at MCED, the open and idea driven atmosphere which both Kristin and Jami work very hard to maintain and make known.
This summer has been a transformative experience and I owe it all to Lilly Endowment, Inc., Wabash College, and MCED.
